An independent cybersecurity review across major Tennessee hospitals and healthcare systems reveals a wide range of results. Many organizations handle sensitive communications daily, yet show significant gaps in email authentication and transport security.
Using data from audit.emailmenow.com, we evaluated each domain across email, website, and network security — including SPF, DKIM, DMARC, MTA-STS/TLS, and security headers.
Cybersecurity Scores of Major Tennessee Healthcare Systems
Overall compliance scores from audit.emailmenow.com, measured June 5, 2026. Re-run any domain at the link to verify. Saint Thomas Health now operates as Ascension Saint Thomas — part of the Ascension national network — audited on healthcare.ascension.org.
| Rank | Organization | Domain | Overall Score | Performance Level |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Ballad Health | balladhealth.org | 70% | Good |
| 2 | Erlanger Health System | erlanger.org | 62% | Above Average |
| 3 | Vanderbilt University Medical Center | vumc.org | 60% | Above Average |
| 4 | Methodist Le Bonheur Healthcare | methodisthealth.org | 60% | Above Average |
| 5 | HCA Healthcare | hcahealthcare.com | 54% | Average |
| 6 | Ascension Saint Thomas | healthcare.ascension.org | 43% | Below Average |
What the Results Reveal
- Scores span 70% down to 43% — 1 of 6 reach a Good (70%+) posture.
- 2 of 6 scored below 60%, leaving stakeholders exposed to phishing and impersonation.
- Weak authentication undermines compliance expectations and increases BEC and wire-fraud risk.
Why This Matters in Tennessee
Tennessee hospital systems must meet the HIPAA Security Rule and document risk analyses. Email and web exposures remain among the most common OCR enforcement drivers.
See also — national audit
Recommendations
- Enforce DMARC (
p=reject), strict SPF, and DKIM signing. - Add MTA-STS and website security headers.
- Run periodic domain audits and security awareness training.
Check any organization’s posture. Run a free Instant Cybersecurity Audit at audit.emailmenow.com/?industry=healthcare-practices.
Contact EmailMeNow IT Consulting for help with email security hardening and compliance documentation.
Source & methodology: Overall compliance scores from the free scan at audit.emailmenow.com, measured June 5, 2026 — each domain checked for email authentication (SPF, DKIM, DMARC), transport security (MTA-STS/TLS), website security headers, and network security. Re-run any domain at the link to verify.